Safety-brake mechanism.



No. 634,305. Patented Oct. 3, I899. G. S. MILLER.

SAFETY BRAKE MECHANISM.

(Application flied Jan. 7, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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SAFETY-BRAKE MECHAN|SM..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,305, dated October 3, 1899.

Application filed January 7,1899. Serial No. 701,505. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, CHARLES S. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pit-tsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety-Brake Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safety-brake mechanism or appliances for railway-cars, and is more especially designed for use on streetrailways to prevent the car from running away when the ordinary brakes willnot work. The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of safety appliance whereby the wheels may be instantly and positively locked, so as to prevent rotation of the same and at the same time operate the slides of the sand-boxes for sanding the tracks.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a brake mechanism constructedin accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the brake mechanism in elevation. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the segment-disks. Fig. 5 is a detailperspective view of the foot-piece. In the said drawings the reference-numeral 1 designates the car-platform, 2 the axles, and 3 the wheels. Upon the inner faces of said wheels, on one or both sides of the car, are disks 4, which may be formed integral with said wheels or secured thereto or secured to sleeves 5, fixed upon the axles, as found most convenient or desirable. The inner faces of these disks are formed with segments connected together on one side by means of longitudinal bars 9 and are provided with inwardly-extending pivoted arms 10, connected with cranks 12 on a longitudinal rotatable shaft 13, located underneath the car-plat- This shaft at one end is provided form.

with a crank 14, provided with a foot-piece 15, extending up through the car-platform, and by depressing which the said segments in the disks are thrown into engagement with each other. This foot-piece is formed with rack-teeth which are adapted to engage with a catch on the top of the car-platform, through which said foot-piece passes, so as to hold the latter in place when depressed. Secured to said shaft is an arm 16, with which is connected a coiled spring 17, the other end of which is connected with the car-platform for holding the disk 8 normally out of contact with the disks 4.. Also secured to said shaft are arms 18, which are connected with slides 19 of sand-boxes 20, so that as said shaft is rotated to throw the disks into engagement with each other the sand-slides will be operated to sand the tracks.

The operation is as follows: I11 normal condition the segments of the disks 4 and 8 are out of engagement with each other; but when the driver or motorman, as the case may he, loses control of the car he depresses the footpiece, which will turn the shaft 13 and move the disks 8, which are non-rotatable, laterally outward, so that the segments thereon will engage with the segments 4, secured to or formed on the car-wheels, thus instantly locking the latter and preventing theinfrom rotating. At the same time the sand-slides will be operated to admit sand upon the tracks to increase the frictional contact between the wheels and track and thus tend to prevent slipping of the wheels.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a safety-brakemechanism, the combination with the wheels, formed with or provided in their inner sides with segments, and the axles, of the sleeves slidable on said axles, the disks provided with segments carried thereby and adapted to engage the segments of the wheels, the arms pivoted to said disks, the rotatable longitudinal shaft to which said arms are connected and the longitudinal bars connecting said slidable disks, substantially as described.

2. In a safety-brake mechanism, the combination with the car, the axles, the wheels, the disks formed with or secured to the wheels provided with segments on their inner faces,

of the laterally-movable connected disks formed withcorresponding segments, the

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witlongitudinal rotatable shaft, the arms pivoted nesses.

CHARLES S. MILLER. able disks, the sand-boxes, the sand-slide. Vitnesses:

and the connections between said slides and shaft, substantially as described.

AUGUST PETERSON,

l to said shaft and connected with said mov- I EMMA 'M. GILLETT. 

